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HILLSBORO, Ore. — There have been more graceful or emphatic entrances to the postseason, for sure, but the Portland State women's soccer team clinched its return to the Big Sky tournament Sunday despite a 2-0 loss to Northern Colorado on Senior Day at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
With Sacramento State beating Southern Utah Sunday, the Vikings' 15 points in Big Sky play were enough to get them into the tournament for the first time since 2014. Northern Arizona, North Dakota and Sacramento State will compete for the final two spots in the Big Sky tournament and could all still match the Vikings at 15 points. Sacramento State and Northern Arizona play each other on the final day of the season, however, so one of those two teams will eliminate the other, leaving Portland State assured of making the tournament.
 
The Vikings could even still finish with the No. 2 seed, though they will now need some help in order to do so. The Vikings will need to beat Montana in Missoula Friday, and also have Northern Colorado lose to or draw with North Dakota.
 
The Vikings (8-9-0, 5-4-0 Big Sky) could have made it easier on themselves with a win or even a draw against Northern Colorado (11-6-1, 5-3-1 Big Sky) Sunday. The Bears scored two goals in the first five minutes of the match, however, and the Vikings couldn't find the net to kick start a comeback.
 
"Today was a tough pill to swallow," head coach Katie Burton said after the match. "We played well and battled for 85 minutes, but those first five put us down enough that we just couldn't recover. The positive takeaway, though, is our players fought back as a team and kept working and never put their heads down. That is very telling of how far this team has come."
 
The Bears scored their first goal in just the third minute on a freak play that the Viking defense had no time to react to. Brooke Braden blocked a ball up from the Vikings' Rachel Michieli, and the ball fell perfectly to the Bears' Mariel Gutierrez in the box, who one-timed a shot to the far post.
 
The Bears surprised the Viking defense again on their second goal, which came just over two minutes later in the fifth minute. Maddie Barkow sent a flip throw-in to right in front of the goal where she found Gutierrez, who redirected the ball into the net.
 
Four minutes, 29 seconds into the match and the Vikings were down 2-0.
 
The Vikings tried to mount a comeback, and had a good combination come in the 24th minute, when Liv Jillings volleyed a ball into the box toward freshman Ellie Vasey. UNC goalkeeper Madeline Burdick came out on the play and tried to make a play on the ball but found Vasey instead. Vasey went down in the box while a Bear defender cleared the ball, and the referee did not make a call despite the Vikings pleading for a penalty.
 
The Vikings then went up a player when Gutierrez was sent off with a straight red card in the 52nd minute. That bolstered the Vikings' attack, and the Vikings found themselves with a free kick in front of goal and just outside the box in the 61st minute. Seniors Kristin Moyer and Katie Forsee tried to work out a play between them on the free kick, with Moyer playing a short, slow ball to her right that Forsee ran onto and shot from 30 yards out. Burdick read the play well for the Bears, however, and was in position to make the save on Forsee's shot from distance.
 
The Vikings combined well again in the 72nd minute, when Vasey sent a ball up to Forsee on the left that Forsee then sent back over to junior Morgan Matthews on the far post. Matthews tried to volley Forsee's cross back up to freshman Rilee Castilla in front of the goal, but Matthews' ball bounced past Castilla and out for a goal kick.
 
The loss to the Bears Sunday followed a similarly frustrating loss to North Dakota Friday, when an early goal again cost the Vikings. The Fighting Hawks scored the only goal of the match in the 15th minute, and then held on for a 1-0 win over the Vikings.
 
The Vikings can right the ship before the Big Sky tournament with a win against Montana Friday, however. A win in that match would assure the Vikings of the third seed in the tournament at least, and maybe even the No. 2 seed depending on what happens between North Dakota and Northern Colorado.
 
"We have one game left and ten days to prepare for the tournament," Burton said. "That is more than enough time for us to hammer down some details and get back to playing how we have been all conference. I'm more than confident that we will be prepared for Friday's battle. I know our girls have it in them. They just have to dig deep mentally and physically for the next ten days."
 
The Vikings and Grizzlies will kick off at 3 p.m. (MT) Friday, in Missoula, Mont.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fall to 8-5-1 all time against Northern Colorado following Sunday's match…The Vikings honored seniors Forsee, Moyer, Rachel Michieli and Lauren Owens before the match as part of the Senior Day ceremony…Forsee broke the career record for shots in the match, and is now the all-time leader at Portland State with 168 shots in her career…Goalkeeper Abbie Faingold moved into a tie for fifth all time in career saves with 147.